Weaning

I'm kind of bummed about weaning the Monkey from the bottle.  The bottle is sacred around here and has so many calming effects that I am equally as addicted to it as Eloise.  Honestly, if I thought teething was the root of all world problems. I'm convinced the bottle is the savior.  But alas, I promised myself I'd start the process by now and I haven't. So after much "studying up" online, I feel like I need to get a shake in my tail and get this weaning underway. I must break the bottle habit around here.  It is my pledge.

As a separate side note, this past year of mothering has taught me over and over again that as soon as you start something with the baby, you must break it. It's really pretty annoying. Introduce a swaddle, take it away. Introduce a pacifier, take it away. (Eloise never took to a paci but I know many moms struggle with breaking this habit so I list it.) Introduce a bottle, take it away. Put things in your mouth to explore. Stop putting things in your mouth. Yada yada yada. I feel like it's a never ending list of things you "should" do, or things you choose to do to help you get sleep or help the baby eat or whatever the reason is and then shortly there after, your next goal is to break the habit that only you created. This is probably just 1 year of several where I'll see this annoyance repeated.

Anyway, the bottle habit must go and honestly, I'm not sure who's going to take it worse. Me or the Monkey?  She loves it. I love it. We all love the bottle around here.  What's better than warm cow's milk in a bottle while relaxing on mom's lap when you're sleepy and all snuggled up in your warm PJs?  Not a lot. I know.  Sure beats a cold quesadilla dinner with water from a sippy cup, a good tooth scrubbing guided by Mom, and being sent straight to bed. Alright, I guess that's not exactly how it's going to go down. Or better yet, that's not how I'm going to break the bottle habit scream-free but the thought seems about that unpleasant to me.

Well here it goes. As of tomorrow, I'm going to slowly break the bottle.  I'm starting with the morning bottle and will then tackle the night time bottle after it.  Any occasional day time bottles are being removed from the mix with no added effort involved. They just won't be offered. But the "after breakfast bottle" and the "before bed bottle" are going to be the toughies to break. Wish us luck. We need tons.

Later today I'll post pics of our very own little gymnast. It appears the Monkey can now successfully get herself into and out of one of her toy bins with no assistance needed.  Ladies and gentleman - we've got a climber on our hands here.